Cases of "oh, NOW I get it" lyrics

So, for 30-some years, I thought the line in "Maggie May" was "Or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing the fool." Cue, like a theatrical cue.

Listening to the version on the Faces box set, I'm finally realizing that it's "Steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool." Cue, like a pool cue.

Duh.

 

Excuse me while I kiss this guy...

 

For years when I listened to Help I wondered what was up with "I do appreciate you being round."

Then one day the light popped on and I realized he meant "around"

Doh



Peace-
Norm

 

There's a bathroom on the right...

Peace-
Norm

 

The Immigrant Song...always thought the last line of the first verse was:

"Our only goal will be to twist and shout"
when it fact it is
"Our only goal will be the western shore."

Listen to Plant's inflection on that line and tell me it doesn't sound like he's saying "twist & shout"!

 

I never understood the line in Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll"
about Mickey Mouse until I saw the videotape of Live-Aid and
Robert Plant pointed to an imaginary wrist watch

"Mickey Mouse - just don't work right"


But the number one misunderstood lyric (by me) was Jackson
Browne's "Rosie"...

For years, I thought that song was written
as a tribute to Rosemary Butler (Jackson's backing
singer on the tour)...

Then one day I realized Rosie was about a completely
different part of road travel...

"Rosie you're alright - YOU WEAR MY RING
When you hold me tight - rosie - that's MY THING
When you turn out the light - I've got to HAND IT TO ME
Looks like it's me and you again tonight ROSIE"

 

For years I misunderstood the Police song as "In the material world upstairs, In the material room upstairs..."

 

I've always heard this as:

Seems so long since we walked in the moonlight
Making vows that just can't work right

 

I still don't follow God Bless the Child, except as a bizarre theology

"Them that's got shall have
Them that's not shall lose
So the Bible said and it still is news
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own

Yes, the strong gets more
While the weak ones fade
Empty pockets don't ever make the grade
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own

Money, you've got lots of friends
Crowding round the door
When you're gone, spending ends
They don't come no more
Rich relations give
Crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
(Repeat)

Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
He just worry 'bout nothin'
Cause he's got his own
Yes he's got his own "

Copied from Leo's lyrics

The lyrics of the Impressions "People Get Ready" still challenge.

As for a lot of other songs, like many of Dylan's, "I'm older than that now", but I don't understand them all yet.

 

I used to think "Drift Away" was a tribute to the Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys:

"Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul......"

 

I thought the first one was correct.

 

No that's baboon on the right...

 

I still don't get Van Morrison in Brown Eyed Girl in the last verse towards the end:

"Casper memory back pedal-ahd"?

What is that line? Anyone?

 

Cast my memory back there lord
Sometimes I get so overcome just thinking about it
Lying in the green grass, behind the waterfall with you
My brown-eyed-girl

 

Quite frankly, I much prefer your take on that line. Genius!

 

"MAKING LOVE in the green grass" actually or "Laughing and running in the green grass" on the censored version.

 

No, it's the second version.

 

The last time I saw Fogerty in concert, he actually sang "there's a bathroom on the right"! The crowd went wild.

 

Not a misheard lyric, but a true "now I get it", was the line in Aqualung about "salvation and a cup of tea". I guess you have to be British to know that the Salvation Army would serve tea to it's patrons after subjecting them to a bit of soul-saving prayer.

Call me thick as a brick..

 

"Bat Out Of Hell" has some line about a Cilla Black fan on a bike. To my ears, anyway.

I never worked out the lyrics to the Beach Boys' "Car Crazy Cutie" until I looked them up. Ditto the first line of "Honky Tonk Women" by the Stones.

And I still sing Gene Vincent's "Race With The Devil" unintelligibly, with copious echo if available. Either that, or with every word enunciated perfectly in a cut-glass English accent (my Terry-Thomas impersonation. Or Stewie Griffin, if you prefer!)

Martin.

 

Yeah, there is a book called "Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy" that's all about misheard lyrics. I have to confess that, not being a Boss fan, it was only recently that I realized "10th Avenue Freezeout" wasn't "Dead Devil in the Freezer". I'm pathetic.

(at least I know that "Blinded By the Light" isn't about feminine hygiene products)

 

The Hendrix box set has a live "Purple Haze" where Jimi sings "'Scuse me, while I kiss that guy"!! Amusing.

 

Hah! When I first heard "New World Man" by Rush, I thought the line in the song said:

"He's a radio receiver, tuned to factory tampons"

Factories and farms were the correct words

Murph

 

John Prine tells a funny story on his "Live" CD about a lady asking him to sing his song about the "Happy Enchillada". I won't go into the entire story, but he goes on to say that he finally asked her to sing part of it. So she sang "it's a happy enchillada, and you think your gonna drown".

The lyrics actually are "it's a half an inch of water, and you think your gonna drown" from the song "That's the way that the world goes round".

Obviously, it is funnier to hear John tell the story...

Tony